princes-trust.org.uk/sport07"I'm learning about teamwork"Lucy McCarthy, 15"We had a really good tour of Lord's and saw the changing rooms and the media centre. I was a little nervous because I'm not good at cricket, but I tried my best. My heart was going at 100mph during the fi rst match! We won two games and lost two, but one of our team got the award for best batter. I wasn't really keen on cricket at fi rst, but now I know the rules I like it much more. I'm not really sporty, but I'll do sport through the xl clubs because they are really interesting and go towards my qualifi cations. I used to be really naughty at school but The Prince's Trust schemes have helped to improve my behaviour. They have made me more confi dent and I'm learning about the importance of teamwork."SERVING UP AN ACE TREATA group of young people were treated to a trip to Wimbledon after taking part in The Prince's Trust xl tennis training course, supported by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and pioneered by Gosling International High Performance Tennis Centre in Hertfordshire.Tom Keer, Head of Sport at The Prince's Trust, said: "Sport plays a vital role in the re-engagement of young people, and we use tennis as part of the course to help build skills that are vital for the world of work or further education."In 2011, the xl tennis initiative included eight clubs, and 104 young people participated. All took part in one introductory session at school and fi ve two-hour sessions at the tennis centre, as well as an inter-club tournament.Roger Draper, Chief Executive of the LTA, said: "We are very supportive of programmes that help more people play tennis, such as The Prince's Trust xl programme. To hear the positive stories that have come out of just two years of this activity is really encouraging."A winning effort Sean Doddle, 15Sean was unhappy and struggling at school, but one year after joining the xl club run by West Herts College, he is much happier. Sean took part in the tennis scheme at Gosling, which boosted his self-esteem and teamwork skills. His enthusiasm and the extra practice he put in led to him to win the boys' singles title in the tournament at the end of the course.Young people gettheir certifi catesat the end of the xl tennis courseyoung people took part in xl tennis schemes in 2011104

08The Result / Giving young people a sporting chanceAfter leaving school with few qualifi cations and becoming involved in drink, cannabis and run-ins with the police, 16 year-old James Cassidy from Portland saw an advert for Get Started with Sailing. With little else to do, he thought he'd give it a try. From the word go, James integrated well and engaged in all the challenges of living and working on an 80ft sail boat.The crew were relying on him and he didn't want to fail. Given the responsibility, James blossomed."I got the chance to do things I'd never done before and didn't think I could do: cooking for the whole crew on board, sailing the boat, and working and living with strangers for a week," says James. "It was full-on but great. It got me thinking about life and the choices that I make."James now hopes to volunteer as a mentor to young people on courses such as this. "The best thing I ever did was get involved with the sailing course," he says. "I feel hopeful about my future again."SET SAIL FOR 2012The Prince's Trust held a Get Started with Sailing course in Weymouth as part of the Opportunity 2012 scheme to get young people inspired by this year's London Olympics. Two of those who took part give us their verdict2012Opportunity